I thought the audiobook narrator was amazing but the story wasn’t super for me! The characters were super interesting but I found the pacing to almost be too fast for me to keep up with. As someone who only dabbles in spooky books I’ll be sure to share this with readers during the holloween season but I’m not likely to pick up the sequel to this.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an honest review.

4 Stars: I liked it

San Francisco, 1952: After being fired unceremoniously from the San Francisco police for getting caught during a raid on a gay bar, Andy’s plan is to drink away the remainder of his money and pitch himself into the bay. When Andy is asked to privately investigate the murder of Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire, he jumps at the chance. At Lavender House he discovers a queer, found family who are able to live openly and while he’s enchanted with the Lamontaine’s living arrangements, Andy can’t get too comfortable because someone in this family might be a murderer.

You may like this book if you like:
Murder mysteries
Found Family
Historical Fiction
Knives Out
Clue

Thoughts:
I’ve never watched a noir but I know the vibe and this book is exactly what I thought a noir would be. Each of the family members, I could see very clearly in my mind and I loved the dynamic between them in Lavender House. It was also very heartwarming to see Andy finding a place for himself as he conducted his investigation. Overall, the mystery was pretty predictable but the journey was obviously the main attraction. Even though this book is considered to be noir, I might label it more as a cozy mystery. The sequel is out and a third book will be coming out this year and I would be interested in continuing this series.

Vikas Adam was the narrator for the audiobook and I enjoyed his performance for this book.

This is giving queer, historical, and "Knives Out" vibes. Definitely recommend The Lavender House for anyone who enjoys a good mystery, and especially for folks who enjoy reading books with queer representation.

I was sceptical about this book from the get-go. Not sure why. It didn’t take me long to realize I was wrong about my scepticism. This is a great, well written, highly queer murder mystery. One of my top 10 queer reads this year. Awesome!

I’m unfamiliar with the narrator, and I’m typically uninterested in deep cis-male voices, but there’s something about this narrator’s voice and characterizations that really works with this story. I’m impressed.

Recommended for readers of good murder mysteries, and lgbtq+ reads,

(I received this audiobook ALC via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you!)

I absolutely adore a found family. This one was just wonderful. I loved the mystery. I was constantly changing who I thought did it. I love when that happens. The book just kept me guessing. I cannot wait to read the next book. I loved the narration. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was ok. The mystery wasn't really that exciting, but I found the characters intriguing. The idea of having a place where these queer people felt safe in a time when it wasn't even safe for them to exist was nice. I thought the descriptions of everything were good, but the conclusion was a bit disappointing for me.

“People are always trying to claim you, without ever listening to who you are. They want you to be something else, to be the role they have for you in the family. But really, we’re all better off just making our own.”

LAVENDER HOUSE is like “Knives Out” but (almost) everyone is gay. Set in the Bay Area in the 1950s, it’s an atmospheric murder mystery about a secretly queer family that owns a soap company. When their matriarch dies mysteriously, a recently fired cop is brought into their mansion to suss out what happened and who is at fault. The plot was fairly straightforward - a few intriguing twists, some delicious suspense - but what really shone for me was the queer history Rosen illuminates, the messy & beautiful found family at the core of this story, and seeing through the main character’s eyes the far-reaching effects of being made to hide your true self and the healing that comes when you finally feel at home. Thanks to Forge Books and Macmillan Audio for the review copies! This novel is out 10/18.

Content warnings: murder, homophobia, family rejection, religious bigotry, child abuse, beatings/hate crimes, police brutality, survival sex work, suicide

4.25 stars! -- When I heard that this book was akin to a "queer knives out story but set in San Francisco in the 50s", needless to say, I was very intrigued. And then I listened to the book in nearly ONE sitting, because I was just so curious about where the story was going to go next.

This is part cosy mystery, part queer empowerment tale, as well as a self-reflective journey for the main character Andy Mills. The audiobook narration was pretty good (if a bit slow, had to listen at 2.0x) and enhanced the story for me. I think this is going to be a series and I will likely be reading the next installments! There were some twists, but the conclusion had similar vibes to an Agatha Christie reveal. My favorite aspect about the book was the fact that the characters were unapologetically queer, and had forged their own slice of safety in an unsafe world for them. The premise was unique and I think that it was executed quite well!
{However, please check trigger warnings before starting this book for some violence and potentially triggering language.}

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this audiobook arc. This did not affect me review in anyway.

There is something very readable about this queer historical mystery. From the details of the time period, to the seemingly utopian existence of the Lamontaine estate...but everyone knows there's no such thing as a utopia, Keeping others out might mean that a murderer is living among them.

When the head of the Lamontaine soap empire is killed, her widow hires Andy Mills to investigate. What he uncovers is more than just a murder mystery.

I so wanted to love this book. Queer historical murder mystery just sounded perfect. However, it fell so flat. The characters weren't the star quality that you want in a murder mystery. The mystery itself unraveled at a snail's pace and ended with such an unsatisfying thud for me. I wish I could say good things, but this is not a mystery I would recommend.

This wasn't my cup of tea. I was very intrigued by the description of this book. It was described as a queer Knives Out...it was not that. I definitely found it to be more detective noir than a cozy mystery. While that was disappointing, I was still very interested in a dark queer detective novel.

However, I also did not like the delivery of this story either. The story dragged on in a way that I did not enjoy. The plot was slow and predictable. I didn't find the characters very interesting either. It felt like a real slog to get through.

Overall, this was an interesting premise, but I found the execution to be lacking.

Super fast-paced. I was able to finish it in a day. I didn’t know I need a queer detective series before this, but now I’m very excited for more!

I was given a NetGalley widget for this one a year ago and I just got around to reading it and dangit it was so good. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have consumed this wildly relevant fictional tale, which felt not at all fictional, more like historical fiction, due to the times. The cover initially was what drew me in, but I'm so thankful to have stuck with it because the outcome was magical. I always love listening to audiobooks and when they sweep me off my feet, I'm just utterly captivated! I always really enjoy multi-cultural thrillers, for I embark on a journey through a land unknown to me, while still getting spooked.

This was a solid 3.5 star read for me!!! Every review is subjective, but if you love a good historical detective book, you should take my review with a grain of salt for a few reasons: one, I really struggle with violence in books, especially when it’s motivated by hatred toward oppressed groups; Two, I really struggle with books that don’t have romantic plotlines; and three, historical novels are hit or miss for me depending on the time period. If you aren’t the same way, feel free to disregard the three and a half star rating because other than these three issues, this book had phenomenal representation, an excellently written cast of characters, and a very engaging storyline.

Representation: gay & lesbian

Spice level: none

TW: murder, police brutality, homophobia, discussion of suicide

I listened to the audio and tried the print version of Lavender House. My original review for the print copy appears below. The narrator was a perfect match.

Lavender House is an excellent read for the right person. Rosen writes beautifully, and all the characters were very interesting. Several friends adored this one, but it was too graphically violent for me to finish. The violence made sense given the main character's situation and the time period, so I wouldn't call it gratuitous. Just not my cup of tea. I'm interested to try the author's next book.

Lavender House was one of my favorite books of 2022. The story was complex and the characters were complicated. The story has characteristics of class Noirs like Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett. Take one man down on his luck. He is so down that his next planned step is off the Golden Gate Bridge. Put that man is a house with astounding characters, each with their own agenda, where one of them is a murderer. A house that is far removed from any neighbors. Stir in a little corporate rivalry. Now that man needs to solve the murder against the wishes of a few of the characters. He also needs to stay alive.

Vikas Adam's narration was marvelous. In fact, I bought the audiobook of The Far Pavilions simply because he was narrating it. The voice of the main character is rough and his emotions come through clearly. The other members of the household, whether male or female, young or old, are all very well done.

I was quickly immersed in the story. The mystery was fun to try to solve. I did not. Lavender House left me wanting more, especially from the main character Andy. The 1950s time period with a queer private detective written by Lev AC Rosen would be an automatic buy.
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I received a copy of the audiobook from Netgalley and then won one from McMillian Audio through an Instagram post. I listed to the audiobook multiple times and wrote an honest review.

LAVENDER HOUSE was recommended to me a few times recently, and I was excited to read this fast paced queer suspense.

1952; The family seat of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the soap empire, Irene's recipes for her signature scents are a well guarded secret, but it's not the only one behind these gates. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they've needed to keep others out. Now they're worried they're keeping a murderer in.

Overall I really enjoyed this one, and thought the audiobook was great!

*many thanks to Forge Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

Set in 1952, Evandere “Andy” Mills has just been fired from the San Fransisco Police Department after being caught in a gay bar raid. While contemplating suicide the next day, the widow of the recently deceased Irene Lamontaine offers Andy a job to investigate her death. She feels sure that Irene, matriarch of a family soap empire, was murdered and wants Andy to come to Lavender House to figure out who did it. Andy is intrigued by the way everyone ta Lavender House can act like themselves within the estate and agrees to take the case. If this was a murder, he may not be living with the murderer – will he be able to solve this case?

This book was at least as much about Andy’s soul-searching as it was about the mystery of Irene’s death. We never got to know any of the other characters well. There were a few moments of action, but overall the pace of the story was slow. I liked the premise of a house full of queer people who could be fully themselves with each other. I was not a fan of the narrator. This was an OK story overall.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

I think this book is being pitched incorrectly. Other than a murder happening within a “quirky” “family”, I didn’t find any comparisons to Knives Out, which I loved.

I like that the author focuses on a found family of queer adults, but none of the characters felt real. The time period also didn’t feel real, other than the prejudices against the LGBTQ+ community.

I think the plot had a lot of promise, but the delivery fell flat.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Do you ever feel like you need a safe haven? Well the characters in Lavender House has created just that!

The story starts out with a Police officer losing his job because he is Gay. While sulking in a bar to drink his job away, Someone comes to him with an opportunity he simply can not turn down. They need a private investigator to look into a death of a lady. But, this isn't just any ordinary PI job. The job requires total secrecy to the outside world. The individuals living here are not like what they portray them selves to be in the outside world. This is there safe haven and they need to keep it that way. What better way to get answers on the death of their loved one, than to find someone who wants to keep the same secret of himself.

This was a fast paced, wild ride of a book! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of Lavender House.